Device for reversing the direction of rotation of internal-combustion engines.



L. LE PONTOIS.

v DEVICE FOR BEVERSING THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 2, 1907.

904,624. Patented N0v.24, 1908. 2 sums-sum 1.

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if i'iiz eases.

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L. LE PONTOIS. TION OP ROTATION OF INTERNAL GOMBUSTIQ N ENGINES.

DEVICE FOR REVERSING THE DIREG APPLICATION FILED Aim. 2, 1907.

Patented N 0v. 24, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wz'inecsweax 1 UNITED ST-ATEsrA'rnnT oration.

LEON- LE PQNTOIS, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

nation ronnnvnnsme m: manc'rion or ROTATION or INrE'anAL-eoMBUs'rion nnemns.

\ v Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Application filed August 2, 1907. $eria1 No. 386,695;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON Ln PONTOIS, a

citizen of the Republioof France, residingv Directionof Rotation of InternalCombustion Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the ac-' companying drawings.

This invention relates to means for-accomplishing such reversal of direction of rotation by control of the time of ignition of the. fuelgases pmployed in such engines, and it.

consists in a new device for automatic selec tion ofthe mostadvantageous time'for such ignition and automatic'establishment of ignition atsuch time. i l g The mechanism shown and described here'- in is atypical one which'will operatejautoinatically to effect this result.

Internal combustion engines may be constructed so as to be adapted to rotate in either direction, and in starting them it often happens that the ignition of the fuel gases is accomplished by '-the source of heat employed for this purpose at so eai'lya tinie'in the revolution of the engine that theimpulse from ex aiision of the i nited' 'asesis exerted tooearly to beeflfective to drive the engme forward and results 111 an unexpected and undesirable reversal of the direction of; rotation known as backkick This result is due to the fact that at the time of ignition and development of the energy of thebur'n ing. gases in the "cylinder the crank is still so far ahead of the dead center, that the energy of inertia in the fly wheel is insufiicient to car'rythe crank shaft forward to the dead center and slightly past that point. As the speed of revolution of the engine decreases this result ismore apt to occur by reason of the reduced .energy of inertia ofthe fly wheel.

By my invention Imake' use'of the back kick and make this hitherto undesirable resuit a useful means to accomplish the reverr sal of the engine,

This specification shows it as applied to the control of a sparking circuit adapted to furnish three ignition sparks at each revolution of the engine, which would be the case if employed upon a six cylinder-four cycle engine, or a three cylinder two cycle engine,

[the spark circuit at this point.

and actuated from or in register with the inain engine shaft. v

F igu'res 1 and 2 are side and end views of my invention partly'in section. q p Referring to the drawings, 1 13 a shaft driven by the engine; 2 is'a cam'which operates the usual spark circuit breaker. This.

cam is shown "by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The break is made between the contacts-9 and 10. 9 is movable and is operated by the cam2 through its piston 4 and roller. 6 bearing upon the cam. A spring-8presses.this contact. 3

downwards to meet the fixed contact'-10 supported 1in the-frame 30,. and. insulated tlm'refrombythe insulation 33.- This frame is mounted in bearings 26, 26 on the shaft .and'may" beturned thereupon-to time the It is locked to a sector 11', placed in the frame of the engine and is secured in its adjustedposition' bya lock'32.

spark.

through its stein 5, and roller-bearing 7 This piston is pressed downwards by its spring 14:. The cams land 3 are in such angular-relation that the liftof Qtobreak 5 the contact at 9, 10, occurs just; after the cam 3 has raised the piston to its'lhighest position,-

the break at 9, l0, closely following the ck surev of the circuit at 15, 16. \Vhn'not in use this; governor piston'is caught and held.

in its raised position by engagement ofa lug 18, with; theihook 17, carried, upon the re-v leasing lever 19.. In this position the' electrodes l-5' ttntlflii are held in contact closing The governor is put in operation by pressure upon the lever handle 25,1and releaseof'the lug cated so long as the. handle 25- is depressed.

18. The piston 13, will .then .be recipro- I speed for re ei'sal thesp'ark circuit is closed 1 at. 15,. 16 permitting a spark to ensue upon breaklng at 9, 10, which causes reversal. The-spark 1S then advanced as the engine speed increases in the new direction by further adjustment'of the frame 30.

above the piston is an inclosed air chamber 21, and in this chamber is an elastically sup priced and electrically :insulated electroce 16, which may meet another ClOKl rode 15 carried'by' the piston 13.

The contact 16, is pressed downwards by its spring 20, and its movement is limited by the nuts 24 on its supporting stem 19, which slides in a supporting bracket 34, provided with insulating rings 42-, 42. A piston 35, forms a hermetically sealed end for the air chamber-21 and the space behind this piston is open to the atmospheric pressure.

' The air chamber 21, is provided with one or more openings outwardly, as at 36, so placed as to be opened when the piston 13 is in its lowest position as shown in the drawing and closed by this piston at the beginning of its upward movement. An air escape or port-.22, is also provided which isfurnished with a needle valve 23, and by means of this valve the speed at which air may escape from the chamber 21 may be re ulated..

n operation the upward movement of the piston 13 compresses the air in. the chamber I 521, and this if not allowed to escape, presses the elastically supported contact 16, upward against the pressure of its spring. 20, so that no contact is made-*between'the points 15 and 16.

The valve 23 is set so as to-permit the air iii-21 to escape slowly. The rate of escape oftheair should be such that at all speedsof revolution above that at which it is desirable' to make the reversal ignition the ressure ofithe air in the chamber 21, will 'lold the contacts 15 and 16 apart. As the engine speed decreases the longer time of escape of the air in the chamber 21 so reduces-its ressure u on the face of the iston' 35 as to permit the contactlG to be advanced by its spring 20 towards the contact 15, and to reach it when the engine speed is at the right point for the reversalgignition. At such time the-contact between 15 and 16 being established, the sparking circuit is closed and a break now occuring between'the electrodes 9 and 10 in said circuit (9 and'15 being grounded on the elwine frame) and a suitable source of electricalenergy being supplied, as by the battery 37, induction coil 38,

respective cylinders.

and condenser 39, a spark will be made at the spark plug 40 igniting the gases in the cylinder.

The spark plug shown at 40 represents one of the plugs which are employed in the This being properly timed in the stroke by the setting of the governor, by means of the handle 41, and locking sector 11, the reversal of the engine is accomplished with certainty and without undue strains.

I claim,

1. An ignition governor for internal combustion engines comprising an air pump having a chamber connected to the engine so as to be driven at a rate proportional to the speed of the latter to compress the air within its chamber, an airescape passage from said pump chamber, and an electric ignition circuit for ignitingthe fuel gases having a break therein between two electrodes, one of which is operatively connected to the air pump piston so as to he reciprocated therewith and the other being mounted u )on an elastic support operatively arranged a jacent to said pump chamber so as to be positioned by the pressure therein.

2. An ignition goiernor for internal combustion engines comprising an air pump having a chamber connected to the engine so as to be driven at arate proportional to the speed of the latterto compress the air within its chamber, an air escape passage from said pump chamber, provided with means for regulating the rate of escape of said air, and an electric ignition circuit for igniting the fuel gases having a break therein between two electrodes, one of which is operatively connected to the air pump piston so as to be reciprocated therewith and the other being" mounted upon an elastic support operatively arranged adjacent to said pump chamber so as to be positioned by the pressure therein.

LEON LE PONTOIS. Witnesses ANNA OAREY DILLS,

LUT ER G. BILLINGS, Jr. 

